Feedback Without Intent: The Silent Threat to Product-Market Fit

Toilet Brush Amush

At first glance, seeking feedback from your target audience seems like a smart move. After all, who better to inform your product or service decisions than the very people you're trying to reach? But here's where it gets tricky: not all feedback is created equal — and when it comes from the wrong subset of your audience, it can do more harm than good.

Let’s consider a simple analogy. Imagine someone asks me to provide feedback on a new toilet brush design because I happen to fit the demographic profile they’re targeting. On paper, I might be exactly the kind of consumer they're looking for — age, household type, income bracket, etc. But there’s one big problem: I have zero interest in buying a toilet brush. I’m not in the market, I don’t care about the product category, and frankly, I couldn’t tell the difference between Brand A and Brand Z if I tried.

Now, imagine I go ahead and give my opinion anyway — maybe I don’t like the colour, or I think the handle looks flimsy. That feedback, though sincere, is entirely subjective and largely irrelevant. It’s not rooted in need, desire, or purchase intent. I’m commenting on a hypothetical future that will likely never come to pass. My feedback is focused on a “what if” — what I might want if I ever cared enough to buy one — rather than what actually drives my decisions in real life. In other words, it’s a view without any weight behind it.

Now apply that same logic to business.

If you're gathering feedback from individuals who may fit your Ideal Customer Profile (ICP) on the surface but have no intent to purchase — either now or in the foreseeable future — how valuable is that insight, really? Yes, they look like the right audience, but if they’re not currently in a buying mindset, their perspectives are unlikely to reflect the motivations, objections, or needs of those who are. Worse, acting on such feedback can steer your product or messaging in the wrong direction, making it less resonant with actual buyers.

This is why it's crucial to go beyond demographics and firmographics when collecting feedback. Intent matters. Context matters. You must consider where someone is in their journey — are they problem-aware? Are they actively searching for a solution? Or are they simply offering an opinion out of curiosity or politeness, with no real stake in the outcome?

Unqualified feedback — even if it's articulate and well-meaning — can be misleading. It can dilute your focus, skew your strategy, and send your team chasing false signals.

So yes, speak to your ICP. But do so intentionally. Qualify them first. Make sure they have a genuine need, interest, or at the very least, an open mind. Otherwise, you may find yourself building for a market that doesn’t exist — or worse, alienating the one that does.

In summary: Asking for feedback is not inherently dangerous — but asking the wrong people, or asking without context, absolutely is.